At least a half dozen nursing homes in Oakland County received the worst possible rating for compliance to state and federal regulations, according to a compilation by ProPublica, an investigative tool for the public.

Some of the data on violations or deficiencies in nursing homes was provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. There were nearly 118,000 deficiencies involving 14,565 reported nationwide.

Some of the findings included failure "to ensure the confidentiality of clinical records for two patients resulting in residents' protected health information being openly and publicly available." That is a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

There was at least one report of abuse to a patient, identified as resident No. 105, who on Aug. 14, 2011, fell out of her wheelchair. According to an X-ray, the patient incurred an "acute fracture of the proximal phalanx of the fifth digit (broken finger)." The report added: "The regional clinical director said that the facility does not report accidents or fractures if there was not intent to do harm evident, or if the facility was able to determine the cause of the injury."

A spokesman for Cambridge was unavailable for comment.

For the Farmington Health Care Center, 34225 Grand River Ave., Farmington, a report was issued by HHS and CMS, outlining deficiencies. On March 18, 2011, the center was cited for "exposing" patient No. 702, showing her "entire bedside and extremities." It also said she was left several times alone while exposed and it was noted staff failed to properly wash their hands and use gloves.

On Aug. 17, 2011, the rights of a married couple were denied when the facility refused to allow them to share a room at their request. A social worker "didn't investigate the complaint," the report said. In another instance, a "unit manager and CNA (certified nursing assistant) used their hands to forcibly restrain a patient" who didn't want an injection.

The health center administrator was unavailable for comment.

The Lahser Hills Care Center, 25300 Lahser Road, was cited for failing to "prevent misappropriation of narcotic medication for patients Nos. 108 and 109 on March 13. The report said it also found a drug diversion of 16 narcotic pills."

It also was cited for failure to report to a state agency it had knowledge two nursing employees failed to have professional nursing licenses and certification. The workers were terminated "but it was not reported to the state complaint investigation unit."

In one case, a CNA "Xeroxed a copy of a medical diploma from a career institute" and did not have proper certification in a report Feb. 29. In addition, 22 workers did not have fingerprint scans to check for criminal backgrounds in an entry dated March 20.

An administrator who refused to give her name said: "We've corrected all of those situations. Everything has been corrected. A state report shows us to be substantially in compliance with government regulations."

n Resident No. 501 was at risk of elopement (leaving the facility without authorization). The bed alarm and wheelchair sensors were found to be not working. The resident was located the evening of Dec. 15, 2011 in the parking lot "trying to go home." The incident was not reported because she was found minutes later. According to the report, 12 additional residents who were an elopement risk were placed in serious harm by the disappearance of the missing patient, the report said.

n Resident No. 503 fell on an unspecified date. The report said she hit her head and was bleeding. It took 20 minutes for a staffer to respond when the resident's roommate pushed the call light, the report said.

Calls for comment to the facility were not returned.

The Boulevard Health Center, 3500 West South Blvd., Rochester Hills, was cited for numerous violations in a 12-page report.

The facility failed to consistently use preventative measures to maintain skin integrity. Findings included bedsores, gluteal wounds, right and left heel wounds and ruptured blisters, the report said.

It also was cited for failure to provide adequate supervision and ensure that the exit door alarm sounded when opened, to prevent the elopement of one-of-four sampled residents, the report said.

It also said resident No. 601 exited the building and no one noticed because "CNAs left their assigned posts early." Surveillance shows that they were leaving their unit with their coats on, it added, noting, they punched out early. As a result, the facility instated an employee re-education plan.

The nursing home failed to return calls for comment.

A six-page report was issued by investigators about conditions and care at the Medilodge of Rochester Hills, Inc., at 1480 Walton Road, Rochester Hills.

Resident No. 101 experienced a burn to her inner thighs on Dec. 19, 2011 when she spilled hot tea on herself. The report said information on the patient indicated she had blurred vision and she was to be aided by a CNA when eating or drinking. The incident was not reported to state regulators, the report said.

It also concluded the nursing home did not treat residents with dignity and respect, subjected them to embarrassment, frustration and anger and one CNA swore at or in front of patients. Several calls for comment by administrators were not returned.